Dundadela maculata Zahradník & Trýzna, 2023

Zahradník, Petr & Trýzna, Miloš, 2023, Description of a new genus and species, Dundadela maculata, from Madagascar (Coleoptera: Ptinidae), Zootaxa 5244 (3), pp. 276-286 : 278-283

Dundadela maculata Zahradník & Trýzna sp. nov.

( Figs 1–16 )

Type material. Holotype (male): Madagascar, Isalo N.P., Oasïs , 879 m, S22°37′05″, E45°21′08″, 19.–20.i.2013, M. Trýzna leg. ( FGMRI) . Paratypes (7 males): 1 male: Madagascar, Isalo N.P., Piscine nat., 850 m, S22°33′, E45°23′, 21.i.2013, M. Trýzna leg ; 1 male: Madagascar, Isalo N.P., Namaza camp, 776 m, S22°32′22.2′′, E45°22′46.0′′, 22.i.2013, M. Trýzna leg. [all specimens come from Fianarantsoa province] ( FGMRI) ; 2 males: Madagascar, Tamatave prov. [= Toamasina province], Moramanga env., 21.–24.xii.1996, I. Jeniš leg. ( FGMRI) ; 3 males: idem but 27.-30.xii.1996, I. Jeniš leg. ( BMNH, FGMRI, MTDC) .

Description. Male (holotype). General appearance. Body long oval ( Fig. 1 ), mostly parallel, body length 7.0 mm, the greatest width (on elytral base) 2.7 mm.

Coloration. Body brown, antennae, palpi and legs light brown. Pubescence short, recumbent, white-silver, in nebulous pattern ( Figs 1, 4, 7 ).

Vestiture and structure. Head ( Figs 2–3 , 10 ) slightly transverse convex, matt shining (velvety), densely and finely punctuated, punctures almost contiguous. Pubescence very sparse, short, recumbent, inclined forward. Eyes large, globular, glabrous. Frons 2.3 times wider than width of eye in dorsal view. The last segment of maxillary palpi spindle shaped, 1.3 times longer than wide. Antennae ( Figs 1, 8 , 12, 14 ) with eleven antennomeres, last three antennomeres strongly enlarged, penultimate two strongly pectinate, others filiform. Antennomere I robust, 1.5 times as long as wide. Antennomere II 0.25 of length of I, width 0.7 of length. III twice as long as wide and 1.4 times as long as previous. IV the same width as III, 0.55 of length of III. V twice as long as wide, 1.1 times as long as previous. Antennomeres VI and VII of the same length and width, half as long as V. VIII transverse, twice as wide as long, one-fifth of length of VII. IX six times as long as wide, X seven times as long as wide, their length longer than IV to VIII combined. Ramus on IX 2.2 times as long as length of antennomere IX, ramus on X 1.8 times as long as length of antennomere X. Rami of antennomeres IX and X widened towards the apex. Antennomere XI filiform, long elliptical, the same width as I, 4.6 times as long as wide.

Pronotum ( Figs 1, 4, 7 ) transverse, without hump, ratio of its length to maximum width 0.8, widest in the middle, strongly oblongly narrowed backwards. Surface matt-shining, finely and densely punctuated, punctures almost contiguous. Pubescence short, recumbent, white-silver, nebulous pattern.

Elytra ( Fig. 1 ) parallel, without distinct humeral angles, with four very fine and indistinct longitudinal carinae (not visible on Fig. 1 ), equally distributed on elytra. Ratio of maximum length to maximum width of elytra 1.7. Surface and pubescence the same as on pronotum ( Fig. 1 ). Scutellum small, triangular, 1.2 times as long as wide.

Legs ( Fig. 1 ) slim, femora 0.8 of length of the tibia. Tibia triangular in cross-section, with two sharp longitudinal edges. Tarsi two-thirds of length of tibiae. Tarsomere I as long as II and III together, II 1.2 times as long as III, III slightly transverse, 1.1 times as wide as previous. All these three tarsomeres widened at apex. Tarsomere IV shallowly emarginate from above, the same length as III, 1.2 times as wide as previous. The last tarsomere, V, robust, as long as II, the same width as IV at apex, widest at the apex, with two claws, widely spaced apart. Claws on interior part without teeth.

Abdomen ( Fig. 11 ) consists of five ventrites, ventrite I in the middle with short blunt wide promontory.

Terminalia ( Figs 13, 15–16 ). Aedeagus symmetrical ( Figs 13, 16 ). Median lobe wide, parameres narrow, as long as median lobe; on apex with two more or less sharp small teeth inclined to median lobe. Each paramere with long, slim promontory. Lateral corner of tegmen [= Genitalbügel ( Gottwald 1977), = genital stirrup (e. g. Zahradník 2006, 2013)] without promontory, rounded and broadened ( Fig. 15 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variability. Differs in size of body—total length varies from 5.6 to 7.0 mm, width at base of elytra from 2.2 to 2.7 mm. Colour of body brown, to reddish-brown (possibly on teneral specimen).

Differential diagnosis. The species has forward oriented head (probably semi-prognathous in natural position), antennae with 11 antennomeres, and only antennomeres IX and X strongly pectinate (see Differential diagnosis of the genus above).

Etymology. From the nebulous (cloud like) arrangement of pubescence on the body, forming small rounded spots.

Collecting circumstances. Three specimens of the type series (including holotype) were collected in Parc National de l´Isalo near Ranohira in Fianarantsoa province, S Madagascar ( Figs 17–18 ). This area is dominated by a sub-arid climate. The territory consists of sandstones, shale and conglomerate ( Fig. 17 ). The low, sparse forests are located mainly in the deeply carved canyons of the sandstone massif, and accompanied by sclerophyllous woodland with secondary grasslands and pastures in the vicinity (see also Goodman et al. 2018). These specimens from Isalo were caught at night at light near dry, dead trees ( Fig. 18 ) .

Another five specimens of the type series, however, come from the vicinity of Moramanga in Toamasina province, C Madagascar. Climatic conditions are completely different here. A humid climate prevails with a much larger amount of precipitation compared to Isalo. There are remnants of degraded medium altitude moist evergreen forest. However, we do not know the collecting details of the specimens from Moramanga .

Distribution. S and C Madagascar: Fianarantsoa (holotype) and Toamasina provinces ( Fig. 19 ).

Figures

FIGURE 19. Distribution of Dundadela maculata gen. nov. & sp. nov., red circle—type locality (holotype), green circle— other distribution (paratypes).

FIGURES 1–8. Dundadela maculata gen. nov. & sp. nov., male paratype from Parc National de l´Isalo, Piscine nat.; 1, dorsal habitus; 2, head in dorsal view; 3, head in frontal view; 4, pronotum in dorsal view; 5, apex of elytra in hind view; 6, left protarsus in dorsal view; 7, lateral habitus; 8, right antenna in dorsal view.

FIGURES 9–11. Dundadela maculata gen. nov. & sp. nov., male paratype from Moramanga; 9, ventral habitus; 10, head in ventral view; 11, abdomen in ventral view.

FIGURES 12–16. Dundadela maculata gen. nov. & sp. nov., holotype; 12, left antenna in dorsal view; 13, aedeagus in dorsal view (drawing); 14, right antenna in dorsal view; 15, tegmen in dorsal view; 16, aedeagus in dorsal view (macro-photograph). Scale bars in mm.

FIGURES 17–18. Dundadela maculata gen. nov. & sp. nov., Parc National de l´Isalo, type locality; 17, overall view; 18, collecting site with the second author.